[Comparison of unfavorable perinatal outcomes in primiparous adolescents and adults]

Adolescent pregnancy may be associated with medical complications related to the biological immaturity of the mother, and adult primiparous mothers may present perinatal outcomes associated with pre-existing age-related chronic changes.

To compare unfavorable perinatal outcomes in adolescent and adult primiparous women.

Observational, cross-sectional, retrospective and analytical study. Records of adolescent women from 12-19 years and adult women from 20-40 years in their first pregnancy, with a gestation of more than 20 weeks, who entered the Obstetrics Area of a third level hospital for pregnancy resolution were included. Perinatal outcomes were compared using chi-squared, Fisher's exact test, or Mann-Whitney U test.

220 records of primiparous women, 110 adolescents aged 18 (16-19) and 110 adults aged 24 (21-25) were included. Adolescent mothers presented as unfavorable perinatal outcomes newborns (NB) small-for-gestational-age (SGA): odds ratio (OR) 2.95 (95%CI 1.10-7.85), p = 0.04. Adult pregnant women presented more comorbidities (gestational hypertension [11.82 vs. 3.64%] and preeclampsia [10.91 vs. 4.55%], gestational diabetes [6.36 vs. 0.91%], [p = 0.006]) that were associated with prematurity (p = 0.018) and with hospitalization in the NB (p = 0.008).

Adolescent mothers presented twice more SGA NB. Prematurity and hospitalization of the NB was associated with the presence of comorbidities in adult mothers.